Polygamy in Islam – The Rationale and Laws Behind

Lichtenberg

11 months ago

Polygamy in Islam – The Rationale and Laws Behind. This is one of just a couple books in English on the both widespread and controversial culture of polygamy in Islam. As the subtitle suggests it aims at describing the historical background, arguing for instance that early Christians were polygamous, and legal practices as used throughout the Muslim world. The authors states that they are not promoting polygamy be the lifestyle for every Muslim, and that the practice of polygamy relationship is surely not only a bed of roses:

This material was not put together in defense of polygamy, for Allah has already confirmed the right to do so as clearly stated in the Quraan: “Marry of the women that please you; two, three or four, but if you fear that you will not be able to deal justly, then only one. Polygamy is a complicated aspect of marriage in Islam in which the welfare of the community supersedes the desires of the individual (woman). Nowadays, polygamy is usually viewed as a right that man has but should not take, or as a law that is outmoded and in need of being abolished. Muslims often attempt to hide it or apologize for its existence. There is no need to hide or apologize but there is a need for those who have decided to adopt it as a lifestyle to try and handle it in the best possible way.

This book contains basic guidelines for anyone interested in understanding the rights and obligations of males and females in Islamic plural marriages. The guidelines have been drawn from the Quraan, Hadeeth, the sayings and actions of the Prophet and the opinions of Islamic scholars.

I did a couple of simple fact checks on the book. For example it states that women outnumber men at birth, and uses this fact to further support Islamic polygamy. However, this is not true: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_sex_ratio.

When I stumbled across this book, I couldn’t help thinking about the Ike and Tina Turner song where the chorus goes: “You think you’re too much man for one woman, but you’re not enough for two.” It’s good, it’s here: